


At the Eve of Things

by Hildigunnur



Series: Love and Things [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, F/M, Friendship, Hogwarts Era, Mystery, Original Character Death(s), Romance, The Quidditch Pitch: From Diagon Alley to Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-10-07
Updated: 2005-10-07
Packaged: 2018-10-26 13:03:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10787256
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hildigunnur/pseuds/Hildigunnur
Summary: A fic centering around the Weasley twins, completed with an evil original character and the trio solving mysteries.





	1. Ch 1

**Author's Note:**

> This story was originally archived at [The Quidditch Pitch](http://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Quidditch_Pitch), which went offline in 2015.
> 
> First posted in 2001 on the SugarQuill. Beta-ed by Zsenya.

A door crashed against a wall somewhere in the Burrow. Ron and Ginny looked up from their game of wizard chess; Ron was close to check-mate when they had heard the crashing sound.

"As from now, I no longer consider you my brother!" George's voice echoed through out the house. Ron caught Ginny's eyes. They heard a.door smashing in its frame and hurried footsteps down the stair. Seconds later Fred shouted:

"Fine by me, you bastard!"

Ron and Ginny sighed, the fight had escalated to new heights and they turned their heads after George who stormed out the front door.

"Should we go after him?" asked Ginny nervously. Ron shook his head.

"It is best we try to stay out of this, it's their fight."

They both knew exactly when this had started. It had been on the sunny afternoon at the beach in Brighton where they had met Eve.

Only days after they had arrived home from Hogwarts, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had told their four youngest children that they would accompany their mother to Brighton while their father attended to some business at home. Ron had been suspicious that his father planned to strenghten the wards at the Burrow and probably wanted to send the family away so that he could carry out some experiments. Bill was supposed to come and help him for a couple of days. The kids spent most of their stay in Brighton at the beach while Mrs. Weasley went shopping, although once or twice she Apparated to the Burrow to help her husband.

Ron and Ginny had been quick to retreat underneath a sunshade when the sun hadn't agreed with their red hair and pale complexion. Fred and George had defied that on the grounds they were too interested in the birdlife to let the sun bother them. Yeah, birds in bikinis, Ron had thought, glaring after his brothers where they had been chatting to two girls in pink bikinis. He had just been glad that his sister didn't wear one of those bikinis, her one-piece swimsuit was skimpy enough. Why did he have to worry about that too? He hadn't liked the fast rate his sister was growing up, there should be laws against little sisters growing breasts. Soon there would be worries about guys chasing after her and he knew for a fact that no matter how smart girls were, they could just as well get involved with some shady guys. Hermione was the perfect example, allowing that Bulgarian oaf near her. What would Ginny do, snog Draco Malfoy?

His own thoughts had scared him, so he had turned to check if his brothers had gotten themselves in trouble with those girls, but they were nowhere to be seen. Ginny had been engrossed in some magazine and he had been starting to curse himself for forgetting to bring at least one comic book with him when the twins had come into view. They had been in deep conversation with a girl, actually they had seemed to be gaping at her like she was a veela. Ron had never seen them act like this, not even at the Quidditch World Cup where they had just about laughed their pants off when Ron and Harry had been ready to jump out of the top box. But this girl was everything but a veela, her face was not special in any way and she had ash-blonde hair which had a peculiar glitter about it. Ron told himself that the sunshine reflecting on the sand was causing that affect, and he hadn't thought that she had been any more impressive than many of the other girls at Hogwarts.She hadn't even been wearing a bikini so Ron was oblivious as to what could fascinate his brothers so much.

"Eve, meet our kid brother, Ron. Ron, this is our... friend, Eve," Fred had said with a stupid grin on his face. Ron had not been happy about the kid brother remark and had scrambled to his feet to show them who was indeed was the kid brother, he being several inches taller then the twins. Eve had looked him up and down and said quite sarcastically,"You look remarkably like a giraffe."

The twins had howled with laughter while Ron had scowled. This was an exceptionally bad joke by the Weasley standards. Even George's joke about Ron's shoes being the missing lifeboat of the Titanic was had been much funnier. Ron hadn't been able to think of anything to say and had sat down again on his towel, his ears crimson red. Ginny had stopped reading her magazine and now looked with concern at Eve who hadn't seemed seem to notice her. Ron hadn't liked this new friend of the twins. When they had walked away, Ginny had turned to Ron and said, "What was that, Malfoy's cousin or something?"

"Doubt it but equally as nasty," Ron had said in a muffled voice. He was somewhat sensitive about his height and this remark had certainly not made him feel any better.

They had stayed three more days in Brighton and the twins had seemed to spend every waking hour with Eve. On the way home, they had boasted about having her telephone number and address. "She might even be able to come to the Burrow for a visit." Ron and Ginny were a bit worried about that since that she was a Muggle and the Burrow was quite a magical place though it might not be grand. When they were home and the twins had run out to the nearest pay phone, Ron voiced his concern to Ginny, "Is she a girlfriend to them both?"

"Ron! That's absurd. I'm sure they are all just friends, maybe she will choose one of them, I don't know," Ginny had shrugged.

"But it seems they both like her, isn't one going to get hurt?" Ron had replied then in a low voice. Ginny had furrowed her brow.

"I don't know, I hope not. They never fight or anything, always happy for one another if one gets something, you know..."

This time though, one wasn't happy for the other. A week after they had returned home, tension had started to mount. Fred had discovered that George had called Eve without him knowing and that had resulted in a quarrel. But it was nothing compared to the fight they had when Fred had returned home after having spent the whole day out. George had been livid; especially when he learned that Fred had not only been meeting Eve but they had come to a certain understanding. George had sulked for a week but then he confronted his brother. It would either be him or Eve and that had resulted in them disowning each other.

~~~~

George sat on Percy's neatly made up bed. He still felt the rage in his whole body and deep inside he was glad because the rage made him forget how torn he really was. It was a pain like no other. He had never felt this way about a girl like he felt about Eve, he thought about her every second and dreamt constantly about her. Then, there was his brother, his twin. They had never been apart, they had never fought, and they were as close as one could get to another person. Now all was changed, they had both wanted Eve for themselves and neither of them was ready to give in.

George grasped tightly around his head. He felt so bad, it could only be compared to what he went through when he thought the Slythering monster had killed Ginny, and back then he and Fred had supported each other. This was a double broken heart, he had lost the first girl he had loved and he wasn't speaking to his twin, his other self. He wanted to get away from it all but for now he settled for Percy's room while its owner was on a mission for the Ministry in France. He couldn't see how he could ever again share the bunk bed with Fred. They had fallen out for good.

Was he supposed to cry now? He didn't know, he just felt this terrible pain and he knew nothing could ease it. His parents had tried, they had come after him after he ran out of the house. They had made attempts to get him to talk but he refused. This wasn't really any of their business, this was between him and Fred. Finally they had left him and his mother hadmentioned that he could sleep in Percy's room.

Why had they fallen for the same girl? Their taste in women was usually different, George knew that Fred had fancied Angelina Johnson while he himself had had more eyes for a Hufflepuff girl in their year. Angelina was dark, tall and quite exotic looking while the Hufflepuff girl, whose name was Anne, was blonde with wavy hair. Then again, Eve was very unlike them both. Smart looking with her ash-blonde hair and sharp cheekbones whereas Anne was rather roundfaced. Obviously looks didn't matter or Eve would have had more trouble deciding between them. It was uncanny how alike in appearance they were, the best way to indentify them was the tiny mole George had on the right side of his chin and Fred's cow-lick. It was usually better to tell them apart by their posture, George had a tendency to fold his arms a lot while Fred was more into shoving his hand into his pockets. Was that how Eve had made her choice? Did she like boys who had their hands in their pockets better? He knew that wasn't the case, this was a matter of personalities, Fred was more outgoing, the leader and always the smart-mouth while he was the care-taker, the sensible one and one might say the boring one. That could be the reason, thought George, while he stared down at the floor, deep in his thoughts. He quickly pushed out the thought that he had never seen his future without Fred by his side, it was like imagining how it would be like to cast oneself into black abyss. He knew his thoughts were heading that way but there was no need to accelerate the process.

~~~~

Harry rested his head in his hands, looking down at the pieces of parchment that were scattered over his desk. These were all notes on Quidditch, both written notes and drawings, showing diagrams of various tactics and tricks. This was his way to keep himself occupied so he would not think too much about the events of last June. It had all happened six weeks ago, Voldemort's resurrection, the ghost images of his parents and Cedric's death. No, he was not going to think about it, the pain was still too much to bear. Concentrate on the Quidditch diagram here, think about those Beater tactics, Fred and George would benefit from them.

Suddenly Harry's thoughts were interrupted by a light tapping on his window. A tiny, grey owl fluttered outside, it was Pig bearing a letter from Ron, without a doubt. Harry was quick to let him in so the Dursleys might not notice. Pig hooted as he flew around Harry's head.

"Ron hasn't been able to train you any better?" Harry said as he snapped Pig out of the air to get to the letter the owl was carrying. Harry spread out the roll of parchment that had been attached to the owl's leg. It read:

"Hi Harry,

It is great that you liked your birthday presents. I was surprised that Hermione was able to find a fun book to give you."

Harry looked at the book, which lay on his desk, Penalties, Poor Play and Plenty of Points. Quidditch Techniques and Tactics. Ron wouldn't mind a look at it since he was going for the unmanned Keeper's position on the Gryffindor team.

"Anyway, I'm writing to tell you that Dumbledore has finally agreed to let you come to the Burrow. After a heated discussion about how we would go about picking you up, no Floo powder this time, and we agreed that it might not be wise for anyone who came last year to come this time. It might put the Dursleys off or that's what Dad reckons. I admit he's kind of right, besides if the same envoy would arrive now, I suspect number four, Privet Drive would be destroyed. Let's say that some members of the family aren't on the best of terms and it is a miracle that the Burrow still stands."

These words made Harry ponder, who was fighting? Had Ron had some disagreement with the twins? He thought about this for a moment and kept on reading.

"Percy is going to pick you up, he's borrowing a car and we thought it would be best if he arrived alone. I hope you don't mind, at least he's stopped going on about Mr Crouch. His son did us a favour. You can expect Percy around noon next Saturday.

Well, until then, bye,

Ron"

Harry folded the letter, grinning at Ron's sarcastic remark about Mr Crouch. Percy would undoubtedly leave a better impression on the Dursleys than his younger brothers and father. But they would regard him with suspicion nevertheless.

Harry didn't dare tell the Dursleys that there would be a wizard picking him up. He only stated that somebody, driving a car, would come to pick him up the next day. The Dursleys were less than pleased.

"Is this somebody of your sort, boy?" said Uncle Vernon angrily.

"What do you think?" answered Harry.

"Don't be cheeky, boy. You will answer my question. I would appreciate that a scene like last year wouldn't occur this time." This sounded more like a threat than a request.

"I think I'm safe to say that will not happen again. There will be a car coming to pick me up." Uncle Vernon answered this with a grunt and seemed to sound relieved.

Harry knew it would be better to be ready well before noon on Saturday because Percy would probably be punctual and he was. At 11.51 a.m. a car pulled up outside the house. The Dursleys all looked out the living room window to see who was coming.

"Harry! Looks like your chauffeur is here," shouted Uncle Vernon, attempting to be funny. "Well, he doesn't seemed to be unnatural even thought he is driving an Italian car. Fiat Uno, give me Japanese cars any day." Harry didn't hear more of Uncle Vernon's ranting about cars because he had just opened the front door. He had to suppress a little yelp of surprise. It was Percy, dressed as a Muggle but his hair wasn't fiery red anymore, it was chestnut brown with some strange shimmer.

"Hi, Harry. Sorry about the hair. Mum's idea, she was sure that your family would feel better if I didn't look too much like my father and brothers. It's just a simple glamour." Percy smiled awkwardly. "I gathered that it would be best that we had a quick getaway."

"Yeah," said Harry, "the natives get restless very quickly." They went in and found Uncle Vernon in the hall. Percy couldn't help but being polite.

"Hello, you must be Harry's uncle. I'm Percy W... ugh... Weatherby." Percy stuck out his hand and Uncle Vernon stared at it as if he would meet certain death if he would dare touch it. When Percy realised that his greeting was not welcome, he put his hand in the pocket and turned to Harry.

"Shall we get your trunk?" Harry just smiled nervously.

They left the house without bothering to say goodbye to the Dursleys. Percy didn't seem at least offended by their behaviour and whistled merrily while he tried to close the trunk of the car.

"It is a bit small but it will do for now," said Percy as he sat in the driver's seat and Harry sat in the passenger's seat.

"Is it a Ministry car?" Harry asked, remembering the much finer Ministry cars they had sat in few years earlier.

"Oh, no! This belongs to my Penny. Her father gave it to her and it is quite useful really, especially when travelling in Muggle neighbourhoods," said Percy as he took a slow, righthand turn.

"So you have a driver's license," said Harry and looked at Percy whose ears turned red.

"Not really... It is of course vital for members of the Ministry to be able to operate the basic Muggle machines and I had some practice driving the Ford Anglia before it vanished." Percy seemed almost uncomfortable.

It was quite a drive to Ottery St Catchpole and after about two hours Harry decided to risk asking Percy about what Ron might have been implying in his letter.

"Is Ron having a fight with the twins?" asked Harry and looked at Percy who looked startled.

"What gives you that idea?" he said in a strained voice and stared at the road, not looking Harry in the eye.

"Just something I gather from Ron's letter, situations being explosive," Harry saw that there was something going on.

"Since you are coming to the Burrow, you might as well know about this now. Fred and George have fallen out. They aren't on speaking terms." It seemed like Percy didn't want to discuss this but after Harry got over the initial shock, he demanded to know more. Percy told him what he knew, which was preciously little. Fred had a girlfriend and George wasn't happy about that and had set ultimatums which resulted in them disowning each other. After hearing this, Harry's brain went into overdrive. His first concern was the Quidditch team, would they have to find new Beaters this year as well as a Keeper? Then what about his investment, what would become of the joke shop if the twins weren't speaking? Harry, you idiot, he thought then. What about the Weasley family? What is this doing to them? They might be used to quarrels and the occasional fight but a longstanding feud between family members? Harry much doubted that there had been such a trouble before.

They arrived at the Burrow after dark and were greeted by an extremely glad Mrs Weasley.

"You were a bit longer than I expected but I kept your dinner hot," she said after having hugged and kissed a slightly embarrassed Harry.

"Mother! You know that I try to drive carefully," said Percy as he sat at the table besides Penny, who was obviously staying at the Burrow. Driving carefully, that's an understatement thought Harry. Percy had never gone faster than five miles below the speed limit and had given turning signals at least an half a mile before they had to turn.

"I knew you should have let me pick Harry up," said a cheery voice and Harry didn't need to turn around to see that it was Ron. "Hi Harry, I asked if I couldn't pick you up on Penny's car but apparently I'm too young and not a Ministry employee. I mean, if it had been down to experience, I would have been the obvious choice. I flew a car from London to Scotland," he said triumphantly.

"Don't be silly, dear. I recall you letting the car get away and getting your father into trouble with the Ministry." Mrs. Weasley waggled a finger at her youngest son.

While they squabbled about driving and cars running wild, Harry looked around for the twins but neither of them could be seen. In fact, the house seemed unnaturally quiet without the standard bangs and explosions that generally erupted from the twins' room every fifteen minutes or so under normal circumstances.

Ron took Harry upstairs to drop off his things and Harry took advantage of the opportunity to question Ron about Fred and George.

"So, what is this about Fred and George not being on speaking terms?"

"Well, that is putting it mildly. I'm surprised they haven't resorted to violence. George spends the whole day in Dad's shed or out in the garden while Fred locks himself in his room. George sleeps on the couch in the living room now. They avoid being in the kitchen at same time and when it happens, you can cut the tension in the air with a knife." Ron looked at Harry after his blunt speech.

"This is over some girl, right? We must be talking about quite the looker, right?" said Harry. Ron frowned.

"Not really. I have met her and she isn't very pretty. Ok, better than Pansy Parkinson or Eloise Midgen but we know girls many times prettier, like Angelina, Lisa Turbin and Her ... Err, I could go on and she is nasty, you know. If she was a witch, she would be in Slytherin, could be Malfoy's cousin."

"She is a Muggle?"

"Yeah, Eve Flan or something."

"Flan like in the pudding?"

"Stupid name, right? You would think she was a veela, the way they act around her. She made a really unfunny joke about my height when I met her and they laughed like she was a bloody comedian. I give her giraffes, that ash-headed b..."

"She called you a giraffe?" Ron nodded, red-eared.

"What about Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes?"

"Dunno. I don't think neither of them has touched any of the stuff that they have already made since the big fight." Harry suddenly felt sick to the stomach, the joke shop that the twins were planning had been one of the straws that Harry had held onto so that he would not drown in depression. He shuddered as he also remembered that the Quidditch team would be affected too. Harry was starting to resent that Eve, even before meeting her.

The next morning Harry decided to have a talk with George and followed him outside after breakfast. George was leaning against an old maple tree with his arms folded and staring blankly into space.

"George, can we talk?" Harry didn't get a reply.

"Ron told me that you and Fred had fallen out. I'm not going to talk about that as such but there are some things I need to know." George kept silent but Harry knew he heard him.

"What is going to happen to Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes? I gave you money, what about that? I was investing, y'know," This felt like talking to a brickwall. Harry sighed, he could try Fred. He waited for a minute and turned around to go up to the house.

"Your money is in a vault at Gringotts. We put it there the same day you gave it to us and as for the other request, I believe there are blue dress robes in Ron's size somewhere in Fred's room. I suggest you talk to the wanker, frankly I couldn't care less." George's voice was flat and he had not turned around. Harry decided not to ask George about the Quidditch team, maybe he could ask Fred about that.

~~~~

Fred sat at his desk and stared at the photo he had of Eve. He still couldn't believe that she was his girlfriend. She had invoked such feelings inside of him that the mere thought of her made him lose his breath. All he wanted was to be near her but she lived in London. He had considered running away to stay with her in London but he knew he would cause his parents much grief and he only had one year left at Hogwarts. When he became a fully fledged wizard, he could devote all his life to Eve.

He thought about their first meeting, everything was in a haze except her. It was like he had acquired a new sight and she was the only thing in his line of vision. She had walked straight up to them, introduced herself and had put out her hand for them to shake. Fred remembered the sensation when he had touched her hand, just like an electric shock. She had been the most perfect thing he'd ever seen and he had known that she was the one. Why had George butted in? He should have stayed out of it, he didn't have a chance.

There was a knock on the door. Who was interrupting him?

"Who is it?" yelled Fred in a tone that was reminiscent of Percy's bustling manner. Or something like that.

"Just me," said Harry as he walked into the room. Fred looked at him. Hooray, another busybody who wanted to know what was up.

"I wanted to talk," said Harry hurriedly before Fred could say anything. "Is it true that the gold I gave you, is now in Gringotts?" Fred just nodded.

"So, do you have any plans to use it, for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes or anything else?" The question came as a shock to Fred, he hadn't given one thought to any of this since he had that big fight with George. He simply didn't care.

"No, if you want it back, you can get it yourself."

"Fred, don't be stupid. You know that is not what I meant. The gold can rot away in Gringotts for all I care. I just can't see you and George abandon Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes altogether. Maybe I'm being hopelessly optimistic." Harry crossed his arms and looked Fred in the eye. Fred kept silent, of course he still thought about the joke shop plans but without George, it was impossible. It had been collaboration between them in every little detail.

"Keep the faith, Harry," he said and waited for him to leave but Harry obviously had unfinished business.

"Then there is the Quidditch team. I suppose we are at least one Beater short," said Harry and sounded frighteningly like Oliver Wood. A hot jolt went through Fred's stomach. He hadn't thought about the Quidditch team at all since he and George had stopped talking. Suddenly he envisioned himself mounted on his broom, the Beater bat in his hand and he realized that the only one who was in serious danger of getting hit by his Bludger was George.

"I suppose I'll resign from the team," said Fred. "I hope you get someone who can smash up the smirking faces of the Slytherins." Harry gave him a strange glance and walked out of the room.

~~~~

Angelina was having a quiet day reading. The rain was slamming against the window and she wished it would stop soon, she really wanted to do some flying. The novel she was reading didn't hold her attention better than so that she was quick to look up when she heard a peculiar sound outside the window. A large snowy owl was approaching. Who was sending her an owl? Then she recognized the owl as the one belonging to Harry Potter. Why was he sending her a letter? He had never done that before. Suddenly she felt sick to the stomach, there were rumours that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had risen. Maybe something terrible had happened. With a shaking hand she let the owl inside and unfastened the letter from its leg. It was damp from the rain but the handwriting was bold with every capital much larger then the lowercase.

"Hi Angelina,

I hope you have been enjoying the school holidays. I am writing about matters that concern the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I have also written Alicia and Katie about this. It looks like that we do not only have an unmanned Keeper position but at least one Beater position too."

Angelina stared at this. Had something happen to the twins? No, she would have heard something if it were serious.

"It is not a pleasant task, writing you about this. Fred and George have stopped talking to each other and Fred has told me he will resign from the team as soon as next term starts. I am not sure if I should tell you the reason for this since it is personal but I think you have to know. Fred has a girlfriend now, a Muggle girl called Eve Flan and George likes her too. He demanded that Fred would choose between them and Fred chose the girl and consequently they stopped talking."

She couldn't read more. Fred had a girlfriend; it was like someone had hit her with a sledgehammer. She remembered the first time she had seen Fred. It had been their first time on the Hogwarts Express where he and George had run along the train causing as much racket as possible and Percy after them, yelling at them to behave. Fred had never behaved; in their very first class, a Transfiguration lesson, he had charmed the back of her robes to read: "Kick me!" She'd never admitted it but she had fallen in love with his pranks then, in fact she became jealous every time he teased anyone else. When they both had been selected for the Quidditch team in their second year, it had been one of her happiest days. Fred and she were part of something together now. Of course she kept her liking of Fred well hidden, it wasn't until their fifth year when she finally admitted to Alica and Katie that she really liked Fred. They had assured her that he seemed to be partial to her company, 'No wonder! You are very pretty,' Katie had said.

The Yule Ball. It had been agony, was Fred going to ask someone else or should she ask him instead? Somehow she couldn't ask him, it wouldn't have felt right. It had been such satisfaction when he had yelled her name across the common room and asked her to the Ball, she had wanted to scream of happiness but had settled for a smile. After having stared into his blue mischievous eyes all night, even when he'd engaged her in few rather vivacious dances, she had fallen in love for good. Maybe that's why she'd done what she did when they returned to the Gryffindor common room after the dance. Fred had been bidding her good night when she'd acted upon impulse, she had grabbed him by his shoulder and kissed him. They broke apart quickly, her lips were all tingly and he'd had a mysterious smile. They'd stared at each other for a moment and then she hadn't been able to bear it any longer. She had turned up the stairs to the girls' dormitory and vaguely remembering that she'd said good-night to him. Angelina touched her lips, still remembering the feeling of the kiss.

She quickly pushed the thought out of her mind. Fred was taken, some girl meant now so much to him that he had fallen out with his twin. This all seemed so absurd, no two people were closer than Fred and George. She knew that many seemed to be confused as to where one twin ended and the other one began. That had never been a problem for her, she knew always them apart and found the differences between them were more obvious than the likenesses. Fred always buried his hands boyishly in his pockets while George stood his defence with arms crossed over his chest. Fred usually talked in more relaxed tone than George whose voice had more laughter in it. The list was endless, Angelina could do a N.E.W.T. exam on them, she had studied them ever since their first day at Hogwarts.

Who was this Muggle girl? Eve Flan, stupid name really. What did she look like? It didn't matter if they were alike in appearance or not. Angelina wanted to scream at the mere thought of that girl. There was no doubt she had to be stunningly beautiful since she was able to come between the twins. Did the girl care about that? Maybe she was the sort who liked guys fighting over her. Angelina shook her head and finished reading the letter.

"I do not think we can do anything about this until the term starts in September. Hopefully I did you a favour by telling you this now.

See you soon,

Harry"

Big favour, Harry! Angelina threw the letter on her bed. At least she didn't have to worry she would make a fool of herself flirting with Fred. A big lump was building in her throat, there was a burning sensation in her eyes. Broken heart, so that's how it felt.


	2. Ch 2

Lee watched his father disappear in the crowd at King's Cross. His last year at Hogwarts was starting, maybe that was the reason why he hadn't given one thought to school all summer. The reason could also be the endless sunshine in Jamaica or the fact that his father's idea of proper clothes were tie-dyed robes. It was now time to go back through the barrier to face real life. He looked around for the Weasley twins as he stepped through. He had not heard a word from them all summer, so he supposed they had been busy with joke shop plans. He boarded the Hogwarts Express when he had seen no sign of the twins on the platform and started to look for them in all the compartments. He had looked over half the train when he finally found George, who was sitting with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Hi, guys! What's up?" he said and looked around at them. None of them were cheerful, Hermione looked irritated, Ron glum, Harry sad and Merlin's beard, the face on George, had someone died? 

"Is everything ok?" Lee asked in a trembling voice, "did something happen with You-Know-Who and the Death-Eaters?" To his relief, they shook their heads. 

"Where is Fred?" he dared to ask. 

"You can look for him yourself," said George in a tone that made Lee's skin crawl. 

"Something's wrong between you?" Lee asked and felt somewhat nervous. The others looked at him wearily, like they had been on the train for years. 

"Only he's a bastard," growled George. Lee furrowed his brow. It was very likely that George wasn't going to tell him anything. He looked at the others and Ron was clearly wearing a "don't ask" look. Lee sighed. It seemed like he would have a long train ride ahead of him. 

Shortly after the lunch trolley had come by, Lee got up to look for more lively people. He still had to discover where Fred was and now he was determined to. Maybe then he would finally get some answers. 

After looking through half of the train's carriages, Lee was about to give up. He leaned against a window and looked at the countryside zooming past. 

"A knut for your thoughts?" said a soft voice and he turned around to face Angelina. 

"Oh, hi. Well, better save those knuts for something better than my thoughts," he said and gave her a vague smile. 

"I just thought that you might be wondering about the twins," he could hear a trace of sadness in her voice. "I don't know that much. I got a letter from Harry several days ago about them. Apparently, Fred has quit the Quidditch team because he and George have stopped speaking to each other." 

Lee gaped. Had the twins stopped talking to each other? That sounded as ridiculous as Snape wearing pink, frilly robes to Potions class. What on earth had happened? He couldn't think of a single thing that the twins would disagree upon. He had known them for six years and they had never fought. Sure, there had been minor quarrels but they were usually resolved very quickly or as soon the twins began to collaborate on the next joke. That happened every five minutes. 

"So, do you know why they have stopped talking ?" Lee asked. 

"Over a girl, some Muggle girl named Eve or that's what Harry told me in his letter. I cornered Ginny soon after I got on the Express and found out some more details." 

"Over a girl?" Lee was puzzled for he had always wondered how two guys as alike as Fred and George were could have such different taste in girls. Fred and himself both liked the exotic ones while the English rose was more George's type. "She must be very pretty." 

"Well, according to Ginny, and hers is of course a girl's view, that Eve girl is average. Blondish, medium height, sharp features. Ginny didn't seem to have a high opinion of her." Lee noticed the bitter tone in Angelina's voice. He remembered when Fred had told him and George that Angelina had kissed him after the Yule Ball. Fred's face had been flushed and it had seemed like nothing could wipe off his grin. He had of course been glad for his friend but he had to admit that he had also fancied Angelina. The next two terms, Fred and Angelina had flirted madly but their relationship hadn't really progressed. Lee supposed they hadn't been ready to get serious but now it was obvious that Angelina wished they had. 

"You know, I always thought that Fred really liked you," he said before he could stop himself. Angelina frowned and leaned against the window sighing. 

"It looks like he doesn't anymore though," she said and kept her voice low. Lee fought the instinct to hug her. He wondered if this Eve held some sort of special power. He didn't see how any Muggle girl could cause Fred to dismiss Angelina and his brother. 

"Do you know anything about what will happen with the twins' joke shop plans?" Lee tried to change the subject. 

"Oh, Ginny mentioned that. I think that they have just buried them. That's a shame, it was the perfect career for both of them and the ideas they had. I can't imagine how in the world they were able to make those Canary Creams? I mean, those potions that have transfiguring properties, they taste disgusting. But they are geniuses in adapting potions and giving objects transfiguration abilities." Lee couldn't help but chortle at Angelina's speech. 

"Enthusiastic, aren't we?" he said with a grin. She smiled shyly. 

"I believe it has something to do with Fred if you really want to know," she said. "Why else would a witch like me be so fascinated with stuff that blows up in your face?" These words caused him to curse Fred. Why was the guy frolicking with that Muggle girl when he could have a beautiful witch who loved his pranks and was passionate about Quidditch? In a rush of sympathy, he grabbed her hand, squeezed it and said,"I promise that I'll try to get Fred to see the error of his ways. There's no way he's going to hang on to this Eve when he can have you. Hang in there, sister." She smiled as she whispered her thanks. 

~~~~ 

Ginny looked nervously around before entering the stands surrounding the Quidditch field. She didn't want to bring attention to the fact she was going to watch the Gryffindor Quidditch practice. A tiny voice in the back of her mind reminded her that she had a right to watch. She had two brothers on the team and one of them was on his first practice. 

"Hi, you watching too?" Hermione slid into the seat next to Ginny. 

"Yeah, I'm going see if Ron will make an arse of himself," said Ginny and shot a sideways glance at Hermione who stared right ahead quite determined. 

"Hmmph," was her only comment. Ginny suppressed a tiny smile. She took a quick look at the players but when she saw George's face, she lost all desire to smile. His look made her stomach plummet several stories. He was hoovering ten feet above the ground on his broomstick with an extremely dark expression which reminded Ginny of thunderclouds. It tore her apart inside every time she thought about the disagreement between her two brothers. She had cried, written letters to Bill and Charlie and even tried to talk to Fred, which hadn't proved much luck. Ron was affected by this, too, she knew that. He was trying his best to remain neutral, careful not to take sides, but Ginny knew that he silently sympathized with George. Fred had picked Eve over him and Ron didn't like Eve a bit after the giraffe comment. Ginny didn't like her either, there was something unsettling about her and Ginny knew that feeling transcended the fact that Eve had come between her beloved brothers. 

"It doesn't look like George is having much fun," Hermione commented. 

"Yeah, and he is playing badly. The replacement for Fred, that third year ... name escapes me ... is doing much better." Ginny looked thoughtful on the proceedings on the field. 

"Andrew Nestler, yeah, he is ok. But I know Harry is not happy, he's really worried about the first match." 

"Why, against the Hufflepuffs, right?" 

"Don't you ever listen to your brothers and their Quidditch ramblings? Ever heard about the Parkin family? The Wigtown Wanderers? There happens to be a third year girl in Hufflepuff whose name is Roseanne Parkin. She is, of course, the new Hufflepuff Seeker." 

"Ok, so they got quite a replacement for Cedric Diggory?" 

"Yeah, listen to us, talking about Quidditch like professionals," said Hermione and they laughed. Ginny's eyes wandered over the field and onto Harry who was taking his new role as the team captain quite seriously. He was shouting something at George who just hung his head. Ginny wondered what it could be. Of course George needed shouting at if he planned to keep on playing this poorly. George flew down to the ground and walked to the broomshed. Ginny's heart skipped a beat, Fred was standing there. She nudged Hermione and pointed out her brothers. Hermione drew out her wand and Ginny did the same. The twins were glaring at each other with loathing. 

"Should we let the others know?" whispered Ginny but Hermione just pointed upwards and they saw the rest of the Ouidditch team soaring down to see what was happening. 

George's voice echoed over the field, "What are you doing here? I thought you'd quit the team. Are you spying now? Are the Slytherins paying you? I wouldn't let that past you, you filthy scumbag!" 

"You should talk, they could just as well use Errol as a Beater. I think Gryffindor can kiss the Quidditch Cup good-bye. You're such a loser." Fred seemed ready to attack, with his wand out. 

"Repeat what you said," George snarled. 

"I said you were a loser. Why do you think Eve picked me?" The second Fred had said that, George jumped on him. Harry and Ron ran forth to pull them apart but Ron got a kick in the stomach and it looked like George had punched Harry in the jaw. They tried again to break the twins apart but received worse blows than before. 

"They are going to kill each other," said Katie, "we have to do something." 

"It is impossible to try any charm," Alicia added. 

"Girls, what are we afraid of? Let's help Harry and Ron before the twins amputate each other. Andrew, don't stand there, help us," said Angelina as she pushed up the sleeves on her robes and grabbed the nearest arm out off the waddle that was Fred, George, Harry and Ron. Ginny followed her suit and clutched one of those entwined arms. Her catch was Harry, who now had a bloody nose. Angelina and Andrew were trying to restrain a very angry Fred, who had a cut lip, Katie and Alicia were holding on to George for dear life and Hermione was helping Ron to stand upright. It seemed that he had been kicked in the head and he was a bit disoriented. 

"Let me go, let me have him," George growled as he tried to wrench himself free from Katie's and Alicia's grip. 

"You are going to get it, loser," was Fred's retort as Angelina tried to pull him back. 

"What do you think you would accomplish with beating each other into bloody pulp?" Ginny looked at her elder brothers while handing Harry her handkerchief to stop the nosebleed. "I'm sorry but I think you two have to consider the people around you. Fighting like this could get you expelled and what do you think that would do to Mum?" 

The twins' faces were set in stone. The others looked between them, unsure what to do. Finally Fred pulled himself free from Angelina and Andrew. 

"Relax, I'm leaving. I'm not wasting my breath on him," said Fred, while everyone braced themselves for another brawl. Ginny watched him walked towards the castle without looking back. It was like her stomach was lined with lead, she truly grieved for the relationship her brothers had lost. 

~~~~ 

Ron opened his trunk and just as he had suspected, his Charms textbook was lying on the top of his stuff. He took it but as he was about to close the lid on his trunk, he remembered that he had to look for his Quidditch gloves, somehow he'd managed to make them disappear in the mess. He had used them for the try-outs, but yesterday on the first practice he had not been wearing any and his hands were still sore, though he didn't have any blisters. 

He groaned. It was easy to see why one should pack neatly when one had to look through one's belongings. Empty pack of owl treats, a pair of trousers that had fitted him in his third year, Hogwarts: A History... WHAT was that doing there? Oh, yeah. He had managed to overturn the trolley at King's Cross with his and Hermione's trunks and they had both opened when they fell off. Oh, no! Ron felt sick, he tore through the rest of his stuff and found a battered note book with a Chudley Cannons sticker on the front and a stack of letters with a red ribbon around them. He sighed in relief, he could just imagine himself explaining to Hermione why he had her letters bound together with a red ribbon. 

The Quidditch gloves were nowhere in sight so he dug further into the trunk. His old dress robes were there, he cringed at the sight of them. If there would be another event that required formal wear like the Yule Ball, he would rather go starkers like he had once threatened than put on that maroon rag again. He flung the dress robes on the floor as if they were extremely filthy but something tumbled out of them and onto the floor. Something wrapped in red silk paper, he picked it up and felt something soft inside the wrappings. Then he noticed the pack was closed with a silver seal with black letters on it. Gladrags-Wizardwear. The only new clothing he had got this year were some new school robes and they had been bought at Madam Malkin's. Ron opened the seal slowly, wondering if this could be a dress belonging to Hermione that got mixed up with his stuff just like Hogwarts: A History. The contents of the package seemed to be made of prussian blue material. He tugged the material and saw it was dress robes large enough to fit him. It seemed, as a matter of fact, that the robes had been specially made for him. The collar, sleeves and hem were lined with material in a lighter shade than the robes themselves. Ron saw the shade resembled his own eye colour. How had those dress robes got there? There was no way his mother would have bought them, they looked way too expensive. 

He looked at the tag inside: Gladrags. Whiz-Man Special Collection. He did not know much about fashion, magical or Muggle but something told him that a piece of clothing marked "Special Collection" would probably cost as many Galleons as a year's worth of clothing for himself, Ginny, and the twins.Who in hell had put those robes in his trunk? Ron wondered if it had been Harry, he had the money but when did he have the time to go to Gladrags, whether it was in Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade? Then he noticed a note that had fallen onto the floor. 

"Ickle Ronniekins, Your estemeed older brothers have noticed that you have taken to imitating a weed, that is to say, you are growing at an alarming rate. We feared that the item know as your old dress robes (hideous maroon tatters) have become too small. So out of our enormous generosity, we decided to give you some nice dress robes. Now you will look good at any Ball and that will make us look good (well, that is the whole purpose). Just try to have better luck with the ladies next time, we can't have you ruining the good reputation of us Weasleys. Cheers, Gred and Forge." 

Ron stood with the robes in one hand and the note in the other. Briefly he wondered where the twins had come up with the money for the dress robes. That passed quickly. Instead he started to feel incredibly sad over the fact that most likely he would never enjoy or even be the target of his older brothers' jests again. Why was Fred so blind that he couldn't see anything but that Eve? George was only the shadow of his former self, there were dark circles under his eyes and according to Lee Jordan, he had stopped putting any effort into his schoolwork. Even Snape's threats didn't seem to pull him out of his melancholy. Ron thought about the letters he and Ginny had received from their parents where they asked how the twins were doing. He hadn't been able to reply to them but he knew Ginny had. Then again she wasn't giving up on them and maybe he shouldn't either. Why couldn't Fred decide he liked some girl at Hogwarts more than Eve? Ron folded his new robes together and placed them carefully at the top of his things in the trunk. At least he would be better dressed at any Ball then some stupid Bulgarian, even with a feud going on in the family. 

~~~~ 

"Mr Weasley, it is common that students are brought up to my office to discuss their academic efforts, usually their lack of. Now, since I became a Headmaster, I've never had such conversation with any of your family. The Weasley family members usually are above average and some are outstanding like your brothers, William and Percy. Your grades have been very good, impressive even when one considers the amount of detention you have served and your commitment to the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I'm also very aware of those little inventions you and your brother have made and I admit they were extremely clever, there are many years since I have seen such resourcefulness." George knew where Dumbledore was heading with his speech. "However, Mr Weasley, this is no longer the case with you. All your professors have expressed concern about your academic proceedings and I believe that your performance with the Quidditch team hasn't exactly been your finest." George couldn't help but groan - had had Harry started complaining too? Dumbledore raised one eyebrow and gazed over his half-moon spectacles. 

"What was that, Mr Weasley? Rest assured, Mr Potter hasn't said a word about this to me or the other Professors. This is something that can be heard through the grapevine. Rumour has it that you and your brother, Fred, broke some sort of a psychic link and that is the reason for your bad performance on Quidditch practices. 

"I can't order you, Mr Weasley, to pull yourself together and start putting an effort into your work. I could ask Madam Pomfrey to take you into counseling but that is only if you want to." George shook his head furiously, he had no desire to tell Madam Pomfrey his innermost thoughts. Dumbledore nodded slightly like he'd expected this response. 

"I know that you are at odds with your brother and I suppose your situation today is a result of that. I can't settle that but there are things that you must consider, young Weasley. 

"The wizarding community is at the eve of war, Lord Voldemort has risen and is rounding up supporters. There are some of us that have been preparing for when Voldemort strikes though the Ministry is still turning a blind eye to the signs on the horizion. You are too young to remember the last war but you have without a doubt heard stories though I'm sure your parents haven't told you the whole truth about their involvement in that war. Your father was one of the Order's most important liaisons at the Ministry. He may not have been in the battlefield like Mad-Eye Moody and such men but your father truly risked everything he could in the war. Your mother did a few undercover missions and once we feared that she might have been captured. Your father was going mad and it looked like he would be a widower with three young sons, but your mother managed to flee her captors and return. She told us she wasn't going to get herself killed when she had three children to take care of and two on the way." George gasped and Dumbledore smiled slightly. 

"Are you saying that Mum was nearly killed by Death Eaters when she was pregnant with me and Fred?" 

"That's what I'm saying, yes. Your mother, brave as she was, decided that was enough so she withdrew from direct participation in the war. No one blamed her - this had been much too narrow an escape for everyone's taste. I have restored the Order for this coming war and your parents will be active again like your two eldest brothers. Percy still hasn't given us a straight answer but since I know him to be brave and an excellent leader, I'm sure I'll soon be enlisting his help. 

"The most vital thing now, is to ensure that the Light will prevail over the Dark in this war and to accomplish that we will have to stand together. There has already been a breach in the unity when the Ministry refused to acknowledge Voldemort's return and we can't afford more. The participation of the Weasley family is important. You are all courageous and skilled wizards. That's why I want you to patch things up with your brother so that the two of you can take part in the battle against Darkness." Dumbledore's eyes seemed to pierce right through George, though he sat completely nonplussed. He had nearly never given it a thought that he could be fighting evil. Make amends with Fred? His head suddenly cleared, it was Fred who had made the breach and it should be his responsibility to make things right. 

"I'm sorry, Professor, but I'm afraid I can't do that. You should ask my brother to make the first step." George wasn't sure if that had sounded too rude. Dumbledore did not comment on that, his face was sad and he looked older than ever. 

"I thought as much. The age of Voldemort has risen, the age of discord and enmity. As the prophetess predicted in the old Nordic poem known as Voluspa, 'Brothers will do battle unto the death, sons of sisters fight their own kin.' The evil have their many and various ways to reach their goal. You are dismissed, Mr Weasley." George got up and thought he felt Dumbledore's intense gaze on his back all the way to his dormitory. 

~~~~ 

Fred sat on his bed in the dormitory. He had just been up the Owlery to send an owl to Eve and he had to use a special charm so the owl would drop the letter in her mailbox. Next time, that charm wouldn't be necessary because he was going to tell her everything. Now she would know about him being a wizard, the wizarding world and basically everything he took for granted but would be alien to her. Deep inside he knew he was taking a big risk, maybe she would freak out or wouldn't believe him. In the letter he had told her he wanted her to come to Hogsmeade when the first Hogsmeade weekend of the term would be. He couldn't wait till Christmas to see her. There were also explanations about how she could get messages to him using owls and where she could find an owl post office in London. 

George's school bag lay on his bed. McGonagall had wanted a word with him after class that afternoon but he hadn't been at dinner. Fred wondered briefly where he was and thought about how depressed George was looking but he pushed the thought out. Why should he care? George had brought this misery on himself, it was obvious from the first second that Eve had her sights set on him, Fred. George was just being an insufferable prat about the whole thing. Didn't he like that Anne in Hufflepuff anyway? She didn't have a boyfriend so it should be a piece of cake for George to get her. Maybe he had lost interest in her, then there were loads of pretty girls in Hogwarts to choose from. Just in their year in Gryffindor were three very fine girls; Alicia, Katie and Angelina. 

Angelina ... somehow Fred disliked the idea that George should go after her. Her image stood very clear in his head, her black, curly hair, her dark skin, her long legs, her full lips. He brought his fingers to his lips and remembered the kiss they had shared after the Yule Ball last year. It was like it was still burning on his lips, still burning in his blood. He had tried several times to kiss Angelina again but every time the moment had been ruined. That had been frustrating and he remembered his thoughts the day after they had returned from Hogwarts last summer. He had been thinking about sending Angelina a letter and asked her to visit the Burrow or they would meet somewhere, a date or something. She seemed to be keen on him, he hadn't been afraid of denial. Then the Brighton trip had interrupted him and he had met Eve. Angelina had been quite forgotten or so he had believed. Why was she invading his thoughts now? He was true to Eve, she was the one for him but Angelina stood more vivid in his mind. Of course, she was with him in the school, he hadn't seen Eve since August. Another thought crept into Fred's mind, he remembered the kiss between him and Angelina much better than the kisses he and Eve had shared. In fact he couldn't remember how her lips felt. He remembered the spinning thoughts that had filled his mind when they had kissed, images of his family staring sternly at him, a Bludger coming flying towards him, the whole Slytherin table glaring at him, all unpleasant thoughts. It must have something to do with his guilty conscience over his brother. Why did he have these worries about George? They interfered with his relationship with Eve. He pondered if they would also haunt him when the relationship would progress. Would it feel like George was watching them when they would get intimate? Fred shuddered at the thought. Things weren't so complicated with Angelina; fantasies about her were only pleasure. It had to be the guilty conscience that was bugging him with Eve. Maybe it was time to patch things up with George, make him accept the fact that Eve was not his but it would be best to put that on hold until after the Hogsmeade weekend. 

~~~~ 

George looked around the Entrance Hall before tiptoeing to the front door. He knew that he would be missed from this morning's Quidditch practice but this was more important, even though Harry might blow a fuse. He had been trying to get his senior Beater into shape for the upcoming Hufflepuff match. He felt his pocket and found that the letter was in its place. His world had changed with this one letter which he had received at breakfast. A barn owl had dropped it on his plate and his stomach had made somersaults when he recognized the handwriting on the letter. It was from Eve! She was asking to meet him in Hogsmeade at eleven by the train station. This was of course Hogsmeade weekend and he had had a suspicion that Fred was planning to meet Eve in Hogsmeade. But she wanted to meet him first, in private. 

George was full of some odd sensation, not excitement, not anxiety, maybe something in between. It could be worries about Eve being a Muggle. He presumed that Fred must have told her the truth about them but he could not help wondering how Eve was getting to Hogsmeade. The train was a plausible option but it had the strangest schedule. Besides school holidays, it only ran on full, half and the quarter moon or when Neptune was in alignment with Saturn. This had something to do with the wizard who had designed the Hogwarts Express, he had been part-centaur and was fascinated with the movements of the planets. George was now halfway to Hogsmeade and decided to concentrate on Eve. The main thing was that she was in Hogsmeade, how she got there was besides beside the point. He picked up his stride when he saw that it was already five to eleven. There was no way he would miss a second of the time they could spend together. 

George was curious to see how much she knew about the magical world and he wondered if she'd ever seen any magic. He could be the first to show her, he would give her the first impression. His mind started working very hard, he had to be impressive. Some advanced transfiguration wouldn't go amiss, he could transfigure his shoe into a unicorn and really astonish her. 

Eve was sitting on a bench outside the station and George could feel his heart beating against his ribcage when he saw her. Her hair still had that strange glimmer he had noticed when he and Fred had first met her and she was squinting like she was trying to keep him in focus. 

"Hey, George. You made it. I have never been on a train like that and getting on it was no easy feat." She smiled and stood up. "I'm seeing Fred later but not until one-thirty, so I insist that you show me this village. I can't believe you are wizards! Well, it's easier after trying to get through that barrier at King's Cross. This bloke helped me and he was just like I imagined a wizard, wearing a red cloak and with a pointy hat. You're wearing wizards clothes too." She gestured at George's cloak and robes. He laughed and said, "You should see the pointy hat I have at school. I don't wear it often, tends to get knocked off." 

They walked down Hogsmeade's main street and he pointed out shops and various establishments. He felt a bit queasy when they arrived at Zonko's, briefly remembering his and Fred's plans for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Eve didn't seem very interested in Zonko's so he suggested they would go somewhere to talk, like the Three Broomsticks. She smiled and agreed to that. 

There wasn't a big crowd at the Three Broomsticks, which was not surprising since it would be overflowing with Hogwarts students in a short while. They sat down at a table and George got them two Butterbeers. Eve seemed to like Butterbeer and she laughed and looked him in the eye. 

"You know, whatever is between me and Fred isn't set in stone. I like you too." She wet her lips with her tongue and he felt mesmerized by that. She took his hand and laced her fingers with his. His breathing became shallow and it was like he only had feeling in his hand and every nerve in his body sensed her presence. Her head was tilted towards him, he felt her breath on his face and he leaned towards her. Their lips met in a soft kiss. George felt like his lips had become supersensitive and he brought his hand to her cheek while she grabbed his shoulder. When they broke the kiss, he had no idea if a few seconds or many decades had passed. He just stared into her eyes, quite disbelieving. 

"That was ... nice," she said and smiled shyly, "worth repeating." 

He had wondered if he should lean in for the reprise but something told him to hold back. Besides, the Hogwarts students would be there any minute and he imagined that he would at least be in for some serious teasing if he'd been seen kissing a girl at the Three Broomsticks. Eve was rummaging in her rucksack and after a while she seemed to have found the thing she was looking for. 

"Lean towards me, George," she commanded and he did so. She tied something around his neck; he felt it and it appeared to be an amulet on a leather string. 

"What is this?" he asked as he tried to look at it. 

"Just something to remember me by," she said with a wry smile. "Aren't you going to thank me for it?" 

"Thanks," he said rather sheepishly. 

"Oh, silly. I want you to kiss me." She licked her lips and he couldn't resist. This time the kiss was passionate. George grabbed her head with both hands and felt her arms circling him. The taste of her mouth was curious, she tasted like elderflower wine. It was an intoxicating, dizzying taste. The world ceased to be for him, the only thing that existed was him and her and the desire that connected them. 

"WHAT IN THE HELL IS HAPPENING HERE?" 

George jerked back and looked up to meet the eyes of an absolutely livid Fred.


	3. Ch 3

They froze to the spot, Fred kept on striding to the table where George was kissing a girl. Harry assumed she was that mysterious Eve. His suspicions were confirmed when Ron whispered, "That's Eve."

Fred had reached the table and had picked George up by the collar and seemed ready to murder his twin. Ron was watching them with a frightened expression but Harry didn't fail to notice that Hermione wasn't looking at the twins, she was watching Eve. She, on the other hand, was watching the proceedings with a mysterious smile. Harry studied her while Fred used his vocabulary of bad words. Ron had been right, she wasn't anything special, but there was something familiar about her. Hermione appeared to agree. "I know her, I've seen her somewhere," she whispered to Harry.

"She's a Muggle," hissed Ron who had heard her, "maybe you two went to the same school."

"Ron, have you any idea how big the Muggle population is in Britain? I'm pretty sure I know her from the wizarding world." She had her hands on the hips and Ron was about to retaliate when a chair came crashing down. Fred had pushed George so he had fallen to the floor, taking the chair with him. He then proceeded to kick George in the ribs but only managed to get one kick in when Harry and Ron grabbed him and dragged him away. There was no doubt that everybody's attention had been caught. Madam Rosmerta was on her way over to see what the commotion was about and many were craning their necks to see what was going on. Harry looked around to see if any of the professors were present, but there were none. George had got on his feet and looked defiantly in Fred's face.

"You know, it was she who kissed me first. She wants me!" At these words Fred's face became distorted with anger.

"Take that back, you liar. I know you were pretending to be me so you could have your way with her."

"You wish!" George retorted in a mocking voice. It became very hard for Harry and Ron to restrain Fred and Harry hoped someone would help them. Everyone just stood there and obviously thought this was some kind of a spectator sport, even Hermione. She kept her eyes on Eve, who was still smiling like the cat who got the cream.

"I challenge you to a duel tonight, midnight in the Astronomy Tower. Then you can prove how big man you are," snarled Fred and George narrowed his eyes.

"You're on, bastard," said George and with that he swept out of the Three Broomsticks with one backward glance at Eve.

Harry and Ron released Fred, whose face was dark red and he was panting. Eve took his hand and whispered something in his ear and he suddenly became docile and sat down at her table. Harry looked at Ron who shrugged, but Hermione seemed determined.

"Come with me," she said, and stormed out.

"What, can't we have one butterbeer or something?" complained Ron as he and Harry strode to catch up with her. She shook her head and kept hurrying in the direction of Hogwarts.

"Hermione, why are we going back?" asked Harry while struggling to keep up with her. He had an inkling it had something to do with that Eve.

"We need to go to the library," she said.

"What for? Can't we just enjoy one weekend off all spew stuff and O.W.L. revising?" Ron seemed to be clueless.

"Ron, this is not about that. I can explain better when we get to the library and I can show you a book there that can explain all," she said in the voice she used when Ron was, in her opinion, abnormally dense.

Thankfully, they were able to get to the library without bumping into any professor. Harry imagined them explaining why he and Ron had decided to skip a Hogsmeade visit for a trip to the library. It would, on the other hand be easy for Hermione to convince everyone she just had to look something up. Besides, it was what she was there for.

Harry was making his way to a table with Ron while Hermione would get her book, when he heard his name called:

"Hey, Harry! Over here!" It was Dennis Creevey, who was there with a bunch of other second year Gryffindors. Harry sighed and walked over to Dennis.

"Hullo, Dennis."

"Why are you here? Why aren't you in Hogsmeade?" Dennis asked in a cheery tone.

"We had more pressing matters here at the library," said Harry and was going to make his way back to Ron and Hermione, especially since Hermione seemed to have found the book she was looking for.

"Mm, how do you reckon your match against Hufflepuff will go?" Dennis wasn't going to allow Harry to get back to his friends.

"We'll win, if you can excuse me, Dennis ..." Harry couldn't finish, for Dennis cut in, "That doesn't seem to be the general opinion, you know. The Hufflepuffs are very proud of their new Seeker and the Slytherins have been going around telling everybody that a puffskein should replace George as a Beater if the Gryffindors hope to have any chance to win the Cup." Harry was becoming irritated, he had planned to forgo all Quidditch worries (which were enough already) this weekend and Dennis' prattle wasn't helping. Then it appeared that Hermione had found what she'd been looking for because she was gesturing madly and Ron's ears had become as red as a fire engine.

"Look, Dennis. I'd love to chat and all but I've something important to do," said Harry and turned away to join Ron and Hermione before Dennis was able to open his mouth again.

"Harry, look at this picture," said Ron with asperity and pushed a book to Harry as he sat down. He looked at a picture of brown-haired girl with a sour look on her face with crossed arms and she was drumming her fingers impatiently on her forearm. It looked like a brunette Eve, but the name under the picture didn't indicate it. "Delilah Flint?" Harry asked, confused. He'd never heard the name before.

"This looks like Eve but this isn't the same girl?" Harry looked quizzically on Hermione and Ron who both looked very serious.

"I'm positive that this Delilah is Eve. Look," Hermione said and tapped the picture with her wand. The girl on the picture frowned even more as her hair became lighter and her cheekbones were raised. Now she was a dead ringer for Eve.

"But ... but she's a Muggle, she shouldn't be in a book at Hogwarts and besides it isn't the same name. Flint ... wouldn't that make this Delilah relative of that brute that used to be in the Slytherin Quidditch team, Marcus Flint." Hermione and Ron nodded. "But he must have been a pureblood. How could he have a Muggle relative?" Harry felt like he wasn't getting something here.

"Harry, wake up! She is faking!"

"Do you mean she was using a glamour? But why was she pretending to be a Muggle and dating Fred but seeing George behind his back?" Harry was finally understanding why Hermione had been in such a hurry to get to the library. He closed the book and saw its title: The Perfect Book of Prefects. Hogwarts Prefects 1950-1990. Volume II. Slytherin.

"I know this is off-topic but why were you reading a book about Slytherins, Hermione?" Harry asked as he pushed the book away.

"Well, I just wanted to be really prepared for my duties as a Prefect so I wanted to see who had been made Prefects," Hermione shrugged and Ron snorted and said, "You're just like Percy, he used to have his nose down some book called Prefects in Power or something ..."

"Prefects Who Gained Power and Percy was so kind to lend it to me this summer after he learned I had been named Prefect, very informative ... did you know that 70% of Prefects end up having careers at the Ministry?"

"Hermione!" cried Ron.

"Alright, alright! Back to Miss Flint or Flan ... do you think she has some sinister motives?" Ron frowned at Hermione's suggestion.

"What, you're saying she's a Death Eater?"

"Why would some witch from a pureblood family decided to put on a Muggle disguise to come between Fred and George? OK, she could be in love with them both and this was some crazy stalker thing she just did, but we all know how Marcus Flint is. I'll bet you all the Chocolate Frogs in Honeydukes that he's now a Death-Eater in training and why couldn't the same apply to his sister or cousin? I understand that being a Death Eater can be a family affair." Hermione looked straight at Harry who nodded. He was pretty sure that Hermione was spot on. Malfoy's smugness on the Hogwarts Express this summer was evidence of that.

Ron had looked Delilah up again and was looking at her picture.

"She was Prefect back in 1986 so she must have been here at the same time as Bill and Charlie. They could have recognized her, even with the glamour. The Death Eaters must be having a close tap on us," said Ron and started looking around like he expected a group of masked and hooded figures to come jumping from behind the bookshelves.

"Even if the Dark Lord is keeping a file on how many times you go to the loo, Ron, it doesn't change the fact that we have to find Fred and George and show them this before they kill each other." Hermione stood up and took the book from Ron. Harry followed her example.

They looked for Fred and George in the common room, the Great Hall, the corridors, the Astronomy tower, just about everywhere they could think off. It was close to dinner time and they supposed Fred had returned from Hogsmeade.

"Oh, why haven't we thought about that?" Hermione exclaimed suddenly. "The Marauder's Map!"

"Maybe because I don't have it anymore," said Harry and felt a bit sad about not having it.

"What happened to it?" Ron asked.

"Well, I lent it to the fake Mad-Eye Moody and I never got it back. It could still be in that trunk, wherever the real Moody is."

"He could have left it here too," Hermione said excitedly. "It could be in Filch's office or something."

"Fred and George originally got it from there, they told me," Harry said, "but they got it while diverting Filch's attention with a dungbomb."

"That won't do now. Hmm, I could go to Filch and report some mess, like flooding in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom or something and you two would sneak into his office and see if you could find the map." Hermione was already straightening her Prefect badge on her robes when Ron pointed out it would be best for them to go to dinner first because Filch would be there now. Neither of the twins made an appearance so as soon as Ron had shallowed his last gulp of pumpkin juice, Harry and Hermione dragged him to the Gryffindor tower to fetch the Invisibility Cloak.

"Mr Filch, I believe it is my duty as a Prefect to tell you that there seems to have been a flood on the second floor, next to the girls' bathroom that is usually out of order." Hermione stood with a straight back in front of Mr Filch, who growled but call to Mrs Norris to follow him.

"That Moaning Myrtle is almost as much trouble as Peeves, my dear," they heard Filch mumble to his gaunt looking cat.

"Hurry!" whispered Hermione to the boys who were concealed with the Invisibility Cloak. "I'll meet you in the common room in a few minutes."

They slid into Filch's office and Harry went straight for the drawer in the filing cabinets marked Confiscated and Highly Dangerous because it was from there where Fred and George had gotten the map in the first place. He leafed through various objects such as Scearming Yo-yos, Ever-Bashing Boomerangs, something that looked like a teddy-bear which bared its fangs at Harry, but the Marauder's map didn't seem to be there.

"Hey, Ron. I don't think it is in here," said Harry, turned around and closed the drawer where the teddy-bear had started snarling.

"You think so, but shouldn't we check this drawer?" suggested Ron and pointed out a drawer marked Various Objects Left Here by Alastor Moody (Caution: May Contain Extremely Evil Dark Magic). After a half minute of probing through the drawer's contents, Harry found a piece of parchment that had to be the map. He drew his wand, tapped the parchment and said:

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Lines started to criss-cross over the parchment and the outline of the castle appear before Harry's and Ron's eyes.

"It's the map!" they both yelled excitedly.

"Let's hurry to Hermione," said Ron and pulled the Invisibility Cloak over himself and Harry. They hurried to the Gryffindor tower where Hermione was waiting. They brought forth the map and peered over it, but they couldn't find Fred or George, though the map showed many other curious things.

"Looks like Fawcett and Stebbins are doing some extra homework in the Charms room," Ron commented with a snigger.

"Honestly, Ron," said Hermione and took the map from him. "Bother! They haven't returned to the castle. Well, we just have to watch the map until they appear."

"Sound like such fun," said Ron sarcastically, "I think only one of us needs to watch it. Harry, you could be the first. I think I want to show Hermione the ploys I learned from the Muggle chess book she gave me. Bring your chessmen, Hermione."

The next hours passed with Harry glancing once in a while at the map as he watched the chess match of the century. Hermione's pawns showed extreme bravery against Ron's murderous bishops, who were nothing like one would imagine their human counterparts. The map was nothing to it even if your mind worked that way, the map could be used as an excellent gossip device. Harry's mind didn't work that way, he kept his eyes on the places where an appearance by Fred or George would be plausible.

Then, when it was just past eleven and Ron had just started his third massacre of Hermione's chess pieces, a dot that Harry was interested in finally appeared on the map.

"Fred is here and he's going straight for the Astronomy tower and ..." Harry paused because a dot labelled George Weasley had appeared too, on the third floor corridor where the entrance to the Honeydukes tunnel was. He was also moving towards the Astronomy tower.

"Ok, I think it's best we go now before they blow each other to pieces," Harry prompted. Ron and Hermione seemed to be very immersed in their game.

"Wait a minute, Harry, I've got to make this move," said Ron and urged his knight forward to slaughter Hermione's castle.

"If you don't come now," Harry said urgently, "then there will be more murders than just in this chess game."

"Harry is right," said Hermione who stood up and walked over to the portrait hole. "We should hurry up there."

Ron stood up at her word and walked to them, he was pale and looked his two friends straight in the eye.

"Do you honestly think they are going to finish each other off?" His voice was shaky and Harry felt a jolt in his stomach. Had Ron been in denial of the situation? Hermione reached forward and patted Ron's arm.

"Not if we get there now," she said softly. Ron swallowed hard and went through the portrait hole first.

It was very difficult for all three of them to fit under the Invisibility Cloak, as they had all grown quite a lot. After some shifting, they felt it would be best that the smallest of them, Hermione, would lead and Ron, the tallest, would be last. Hermione had the map to check if there was any danger that Filch would be patrolling, but he seemed to safely contained in his office. They were halfway to the tower when Hermione gasped and stopped abruptly so Harry bumped into her and Ron into him.

"What is it?" whispered Harry.

"She's there, Delilah Flint has arrived at the Astronomy tower!" Hermione said quickly. Ron pushed Harry and said, "OK, move! NOW!"

They nearly broke into a run, but without discarding the cloak. When they opened the door to the Astronomy class room, they were greeted by a smug brunette and behind her, Fred was trying to help George to remove something from his throat that seemed to be choking him.

~~~~

 

Fred could feel the rage burn in him, George was going to get it. The curses flew through his mind, his former brother would have to eat through a straw when he would finish with him. What angered Fred even more was that people didn't seem to feel that he was right in challenging George to a duel. Katie Bell had walked up to him after their confrontation at The Three Broomsticks. She didn't seem to believe that he was going through with the challenge. Hadn't George been snogging his girlfriend in front of the whole of Hogwarts? No one really understood the depth of his feelings for Eve, she was everything and the world was worthless without her. He could understand the concerns of his family but his blood had boiled when Lee Jordan had cornered him two weeks ago and asked him bluntly if he was taking some stupid Muggle girl over a nice girl like Angelina. Fred had asked Lee if he had something against Muggles since he was asking him this. He had just laughed and said, 'Man, just watch out. She isn't going to wait forever for you to wake up.' Fred had wanted to shout at Lee that he had been very well awake last term but he and Angelina just hadn't had any luck. Besides he had felt then there wasn't any need for him to rush things with Angelina. Eve was so different, somehow she demanded commitment. It didn't occur to Fred that she'd just demonstrated that she wasn't very committed to him.

He didn't feel like going up to the castle before he had to be at the Astronomy tower, it was still warm outside, he could just stay by the lake and practice curses. Eve had just left on the Hogwarts Express back to London, he hadn't known it made return trips the same day it arrived. She wouldn't let him wait with her for the train to leave, just told him in a sweet voice, 'Go and practice, I want you to win.' He had shivers down his spine just thinking about it. Best to be prepared, how was that Disarming Charm again?

Several hours later Fred had singed a few bushes by the lake and he didn't want to do more and tire himself. He glanced at his watch, it was eleven. Maybe he should make his way to the Astronomy tower and wait for George to appear. It could be that George would come early and he could have the duel over and done with before any spectators would appear.

He was nervous, he couldn't deny that, there had never been much difference in his and George's magical abilities, so technically things could turn out either way. But Fred was determined to act quicker than George and gain the upperhand in this duel.

The corridors leading up to the Astronomy tower were empty and he thanked Merlin for that. He was in no mood to deal with stupid people pestering him about the duel. It would of course be best if George was in the same mindframe as he and would also arrive early. The Astronomy classroom was empty and Fred leaned against a wall, prepared to wait for his brother but there was no need.

"So we still share a mind?" asked George in a cold voice as he walked into the room.

"Looks like it," answered Fred in an equally bitter tone.

"There's no need to wait," said George as he pushed up the sleeves on his robes.

They took their positions, several feet between them, their wands drawn.

"1, 2, 3 ..." they counted in unison and then both shouted, "Expelliarmus!" George's wand flew out of his hand into Fred's hand and George was slammed against the wall. Fred stood there holding George's wand while George sat in a heap against the wall. This had been too easy, thought Fred, they had both acted at the same moment and that should have prevented Fred in disarming George.

"I'm not satisfied. Let's try it again," said Fred and threw George's wand back to him. He took it, rose and gave Fred a strange look.

They assumed positions again and Fred decided to use a different spell now and see what would happen. But before he was fully ready, George shouted:

"Impedimenta!"

Fred waited for the odd lethargy effect of the Impedimenta jinx, but it never came. George's face was full of horror when he realized that his wand had not emitted any magic. They both stood frozen for few moments and then George tried again.

"Expelliarmus!"

Fred still held his wand firmly and George stared disbelieving at his own. This was more than weird, thought Fred, had George suddenly lost his prowess?

"What's happening?" he asked.

"I don't know, I managed to get through the one-eyed witch's hump just a while ago." George was still staring at his wand.

"No, you haven't lost your magic. You just can't use any against Fred." The twins turned and saw a brown-haired girl standing in the doorway.

"Who are you?" Fred asked right away.

"Don't you know your own girlfriend?" the girl said as she made her way over to him.

"You aren't ..." Fred stopped abruptly, this couldn't be Eve. This one had brown hair, not blonde and her face was different.

"Do you really think I wanted to be in some Muggle girl disguise when I would finish my glorious task?" She laughed malevolently.

"What is going on, Eve?" George stepped closer to her.

"My name is actually not Eve, it's Delilah Flint and I'm, of course, a pureblood witch. Now, Fred, would you be so kind to step away while I finish George off? Then I'm going to leave you here to be framed with the murder on your twin brother. Want to guess the effect it will have on the wizarding community when a member of well-known pureblood and Muggle-loving family kills his own brother for a Muggle girl?" Neither of them had moved a limb while she rambled on. Fred couldn't believe this, she had obviously gone off the deep end. He raised his wand to stop her but George had already acted, he launched at her and yelled, "You mad bi..." he couldn't finish for she had whipped out her wand and shouted:

"Strangulo!"

George made a choking sound and fell to the floor, trying to loosen something that was tightening at his throat. Fred acted on his first instinct and dropped to the floor besides him and saw that it was a leather string that was strangling George.

At that moment, the door to the room opened and in entered Harry, Ron and Hermione. Before Fred could comprehend any more, Harry had shouted:

"Expelliarmus!"

Delilah's wand flew out of her hands and Harry caught it. Hermione didn't hesitate but pointed her wand at George and said:

"Finite Incantem!"

George started gulping air and Fred removed the talisman from his neck. He threw it away and it landed with a clink on the stone floor. Then his attention was diverted to Harry, Ron, Hermione and Delilah.

"Are you working for You-Know-Who?" Hermione stood with one hand on her hip and pointed her wand in Delilah's face.

"What's that to you, Mudblood?" spat Delilah. Ron looked like he wanted Delilah to feel her own Strangling Curse, but Harry put his hand on Ron's shoulder as if to stop him.

"I think you have just answered my question," said Hermione coolly. "So, what enchantment did you put on the twins?" Delilah didn't answer right away but when Ron whipped his wand out too, she obviously felt intimidated.

"Just a clever little trick that ensured quite some admiration from those two and it also made sure they wouldn't think about anyone else," she said mockingly as she pointed out Fred and George. "Don't worry, its effects wore off when I got rid of my glamour." Fred got up and pulled George up with him. She wasn't going to get away, she had to pay for this ... Fred felt his blood boil, what she had done was so unbelievable. Harry, Ron and Hermione also seemed determined not to let her get away. They all stepped towards her but she ducked, grabbed the talisman and disappeared with a pop. The talisman had been a Portkey for her, obviously an escape route.

~~~~

Fred and George looked at each other when Delilah had vanished. First, it looked like their faces were expressionless but then they simultaneously broke out into identical grins.

"I kissed a Slytherin," they cried in unison, then started spitting and wiping their mouths with the back of their hands.

"And what's even worse, she was a Flint," cried Fred and made a gagging sound. Harry, Ron and Hermione had not dared to move a limb after she had vanished but now they started laughing and the twins joined in.

"We can't hope for all the Death Eaters to use that kind of tactic," said Harry when he recovered from laughing.

"It would be nice to have loads of girls trying to get it on with you, even though they are evil minions," said Ron and Hermione glared at him. The twins stopped grinning.

"Are you clueless, dear brother? You should be so lucky to have Millicent Bulstrode chasing after you and just for the record, I'm lucky to be alive now, especially since the wench tried to strangle me with her talisman," said George. The others nodded. The twins looked at each other and tons of unspoken words were filling the room. It was a time to mend the breach.

"I think we should go," said Hermione suddenly and pulled the back of Ron's robes.

"Why?" he started but was silenced when he saw the look on her face. "Yes ... we have business to attend to. Coming, Harry?" Harry knew what Hermione was on about and had already started to descend the stairs.

When they had left, Fred and George stared at each other for several moments. It was like they were waiting for the other one do something, say something.

Then Fred grinned, stepped forth and said, "I'm so sorry about this whole mess." He embraced George who hugged him back.

"Yes, me too. Imagine that an evil minion tried to come between us," croaked George whose backlog of emotion threatened to break out.

"She nearly succeeded. We owe a lot to Hermione," said Fred, tears ran down his cheeks and the same went for George.

"Maybe we should make our dear little brother wake up and admit his feelings for her, do you think that would be a reward enough?" he suggested.

"A Weasley man is enough reward for any woman," replied Fred who wiped his own eyes with the back of his hand.

"So are you going to reward Angelina anytime soon?"

"Technically me and Eve, Delilah, whatever haven't broken up but I've the feeling there is no need to. There's much to be done, dear brother. We need to get the Wizard Wheezes started again, I need to beg Harry to be back on the Quidditch team and yes, I need to sort things out with Angelina. Do you want to know something? I thought about her even though it should have been impossible 'cause of this enchantment." Fred walked ahead of George down the stairs. George smiled, he supposed that Fred would stop procrastinating about things between him and Angelina when he finally realized how strong his feelings for her really were. George himself hadn't been able to think about any other girl than Eve under the spell.

~~~~

"You're in deep trouble, my dear sister," whispered Marcus from under his mask. "The Dark Lord has learned about your mistakes and it would be an understatement to say he's displeased."

He watched Delilah pull her cloak tighter around herself. She knew the mission had failed, her first mission since they both had been initiated to the Death Eaters. This was most unfortunate, for her failure reflected badly upon him. She was dragging her feet, obviously dreading her fate. Marcus had to urge her to walk faster, he couldn't show any mercy even if she was facing torture or death.

The Death Eaters stood in a circle around their master who had his back to the entrance where Marcus and Delilah walked in. The burning gazes of their comrades was upon them. Failure like this was most disgraceful in their eyes and they didn't hide that they thought whatever she had coming, she deserved it.

"You managed to arrive on time, Miss Flint," said the cold voice of Lord Voldemort as he turned around to face Delilah. "I'm really amazed since you have shown yourself to be the most incompetent servant I've ever had and that is surely a lot to accomplish." Marcus saw she trembled and tried to avoid the Dark Lord's red eyes.

"I know I've made mistakes, but it was my belief that trying to come between the twins would be more effective than setting my sights on the youngest brother. I'm still your ever humble and faithful servant, my Lord." Her voice was quivering.

"Miss Flint, if there is one thing I hate more than Harry Potter," Voldemort hissed, "then it has to be pathetic excuses. Didn't I make it clear that I wanted you to take on Ron Weasley, Harry Potter's closest friend?"

"You did make yourself clear, my Lord," Delilah whispered. It was now obvious to Marcus that the Dark Lord would use more drastic measures then the Cruciatus Curse to punish Delilah.

"So why did you defy my orders? Did you think you could escape my rage? Surely you knew that I will never tolerate those who defy me? Are you prepared, little girl, for my punishment?" A cruel smile flickered over Voldemort's lipless mouth. "I believe that your identity is known to the Weasley brothers. You're a threat to our group and to be sure that we'll not suffer for your betrayal, I've decided you should die."

Marcus saw Delilah look at him, he saw the plea in her eyes. She was frightened, his proud, arrogant older sister was shaking with fear as she faced her death. He couldn't move as he watched her knees give away, she fell on them and closed her eyes. The Dark Lord lifted his wand and pointed it at her heart. Marcus' throat tightened as the Lord's cold voice said:

"Avada Kedrava!"

He closed his eyes as the beam of green light hit Delilah. When he opened them again, she was unmistakably dead. He breathed heavily as his chest was filled with empty rage and he felt the thirst for revenge. It was the Weasleys' fault his sister was dead, he was going to make them pay.

Finis


End file.
